


Between The Lines

by prayfordean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bookstore AU, F/M, M/M, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 01:05:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1920825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prayfordean/pseuds/prayfordean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel's life couldn't be more perfect. Well, perfect in his eyes. A stable job, decent home, great friends, and and endless supply of books on hand. But when Dean stumbles into his everyday routine, what he assumes is a boring world he lives in blooms into something greater. And what will happen when his love of his favorite author interferes with his focus in life?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Between The Lines

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own anything here. I do not own Supernatural or the characters. This is a work of fiction.

Tea? Check.

Coat? Check.

Shoes? Check.

Cas cracked a tiny smile. This was the life. Double checking he didn’t leave anything running or left on – he had a bad habit of that – he opened the front door. Taking a moment to breathe in the crisp spring air, Cas closed his eyes. Yup, this was the life.

Curling his hands around his cup of tea, he lumbered down the stairs of his apartment building. The area was nice, and he had a decent view from the second floor. A public park was nice, right? He sipped at the tea and smiled once more. This was the routine and he didn’t want it to change. Change gave him anxiety. It meant that what he used to had shattered to pieces, lying on the floor while something new trampled all over it; no matter how big or small. He’d dealt with it too much in the past anyways. He didn’t need any more of it. He wouldn’t allow it.  
It took a mere fifteen minutes to walk downtown to his job. Settled along small mom-and-pop shops was the bookstore. Quaint and meager in size, it was the only one in town. No competition! A small awning hung over the door and a rectangular box filled with pansies sat below the window out front.  


Being assistant manager gave him opportunities. Cas had free-reign to how the store looked. He kept the shelves stocked with not only the bestsellers, but books that had potential. He always rooted for the underdogs.

As cliché as it sounded, Cas was drawn to books for one reason only: they dragged his butt from reality. If he found a decent book, which wasn't hard at all, he could immerse himself for hours in it. No care in the world. No need to be in reality. Fantasy, history, you name it, Cas reads it.  


It wasn't that he hated this world he lived in. There was a lot to enjoy in it. No, what he loved the most about books was how words could wrap around you and pull you in. In fictional worlds especially, life was so much more exhilarating. The human world wasn't anything close to that.

Perhaps that was the reason he chose to work in a bookstore. To be closer to that spark of joy he loved so much? Yeah, you could say that.

Wednesdays weren't always the shop’s busiest day. It was their slow day. So to pass the time Cas would pace the aisles in search of a new novel. You’d think he’d read everything on the shelves by now.  


As he reached for red-covered book that’d caught his eye he stopped when another hand had gotten to it first. Blinking, Cas glanced over at the figure beside him. My god. His face heated up for a moment as he studied the customer’s face. Was he a model? He had the face of one; that was for sure.

"Oh sorry, did ya want that one?” the man asked. He looked to be in his twenties and had striking green eyes. They were kind of eyes that Cas could get lost in if he stared long enough. Freckles danced across his nose and cheeks too. Oh how Cas wished to spend time counting each and every one of them.

"No, no! Go right ahead!” he stammered.

The other chuckled. “If ya say so. Is this author any good? My brother wanted me to start reading more. Says I need a better hobby…”

Cas nearly forgot where he was for a second but caught himself in time to answer. “She’s pretty good. But this one may be a better read!” Turning to his right he snatched a book from the second shelf and handed to him. “I love this series. It’s one of my favorites…”

The book was ’Blind Miracles’. First in four-part series, it told the story of man who’d lost his way in life and almost lost everything. But one day, a celestial force caused him to gain untapped magical powers. As over-used as the plot was, Cas still loved it. It spoke to him. The way the words danced of the page and held your attention was so refreshing. Some authors just don’t give you that kind of experience the way Nathan Price did.

The smile that blossomed on that gorgeous face of his was unreal.

"Thanks man, I appreciate it!” The pair headed to the register and Cas began to ring up the purchase.

"That’ll be $10.79", Cas stated, his hands typing away too much to notice the man writing something on a scratch of paper.

Holding out his hand to receive the money, he looked down and saw not only the exact change but a note with a phone number scribbled on it. There was a name written beside it too.

 _Dean_.

"Feel free to check in on me. Make sure I keep reading, ya know?” he chirped, "Maybe I’ll come back for the next book when I finish!"

Taken aback, Cas focused his gaze on Dean. It wasn’t everyday someone flirted with him like that. “If you insist. But I’m not glued to my phone so don’t expect a text every five seconds”

“Then I expect one every ten seconds!” Dean hollered. He left the store with a grin and Cas was left with a blush sketched across his cheeks.

That smartass.

The rest of the day was normal; all except for the fact that Cas now had to choose whether to text Dean or not. This wasn’t fair in the slightest. He wasn’t good with words. He couldn’t flirt to save his life. Not to mention Cas knew the consequences if he went through with it. Besides, Cas tried to push it to the back of his mind.

8pm was closing time. Cas already began to pack his bag before then and was closing up for the night. Like always, Wednesday wasn’t a busy day, so he knew that nobody would show up last minute. Okay, scratch that. If he were a customer, he’d show up last minute too for the sake of a good book. But not everyone was Cas.

“Hey buddy you got this covered right? I’m going home now!” Chuck – his boss, and the manager – called from the back room. He was busy doing whatever managers do. Cas had no idea what the major difference between his position and Chuck’s was. They did the same things.

Cas stared at the books in his hand. He was going to add them to his “You need to read these now” list.

“Uhhh yes. I’ll close up in a bit!”

He was too busy trying to decide which he’d read first to hear his boss leave. And before long he realized that it was past closing time now. The shop was filled with that familiar silence Cas had learned to love. Fluttering his eyes shut, he took it all in. This was definitely the life.

He wandered to the door and flipped the sign from ‘OPEN’ to ‘CLOSED’, bag slung over his shoulder.

The walk home wasn’t ideal. The weather gods decided to smite him for not bringing an umbrella today. But by the time he’d returned home, it’d let up a little. As long as his books were safe, that’s all that mattered.

His days were long, yet he loved them. Adored them, in fact. Working gave him a satisfying feeling. There were times where he wished he could just live at that store. That’d be crazy, insane. People would think he’d gone mad. Cas even knew how obsessed he was with literature. It had consumed his life from an early age.

That might have been the reason his dating life wasn’t active. Between reading and working and sleeping and eating, how could he fit in a significant other? He had friends, sure, and he spent some time with them when he could. He couldn’t be a complete shut in. But Cas just had a rough time picturing himself with anyone. He’d tried dating in the past. Let’s just say that it didn’t quite work out.  
Wait. That’s right. He’d almost forgotten.

He dug his hand into his pocket and retrieved the small paper. Was this going to be worth it? Maybe, maybe not. If he couldn’t go through with this, he’d just ignore Dean after a while. He might as well give it a shot. As he typed the information into his phone, the vivid image of that handsome devil came to mind. Or rather it shuffled in and cemented its feet into his brain.

‘ _Hey it’s me. Castiel._ ’

As he set his phone down on the kitchen table, he thought about what sounded good to eat. His mind was reeled back to Dean when almost immediately he heard his phone buzz. That was fast.

‘ _Pretty name. Anyways, I’m half way through the book. You’re right, I like this a lot_ ’

Cas smiled. Of course he was right, he wouldn’t dare recommend something he wouldn’t read himself.

‘ _What part are you at?_ ’

‘ _Julian just fell out a window and the wind helped him land'_

‘ _Wait until you see what happens in chapter 12. Julian gets into some trouble and magic isn’t gonna help him out this time_ ’

‘ _Wow man, way to spoil me'_

Cas giggled before replying. ‘ _Oh I could do much worse_ ’

Dean didn’t reply that time. Now was a good time to make dinner. He knew eating this late couldn’t be good for your body, but he needed something to hold him over to breakfast. That was just how Cas lived. A snack at breakfast, a giant lunch, and maybe dinner if he got home at a reasonable time.

Bzzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzt. Bzzzzzzzzt.

Okay that wasn’t a text this time. Abandoning his box of instant macaroni and cheese on the counter, Cas made his way to his phone. It was Dean calling.

“Hello?” he acknowledged.

“You're an eager one. Happy to see my name pop up?” he heard on the end end. Cas frowned at this.

“What’s so urgent that you felt the need to call me?”

“Okay I have something to admit. I finished the book hours ago. I just wanted an excuse to chat more”

“So you know what happens in chapter 12 then”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah man and I gotta say I’m glad his magic couldn’t help. He needed to learn his lesson. You don’t just climb up the side of a federal building and think that nobody will assume you’re a criminal”  
Part of Cas wanted to shame him for lying, and part of him wanted to leave it be. At least the guy was making an attempt, and Cas had to admit that it was admirable. And having someone to chat with about Blind Miracles was great.

“So will I be seeing you tomorrow?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Cas?” Wow, using nicknames, huh? Cas winced a little. He knew the last time he heard that nickname used.

“I meant if you were coming to get the next book. Don’t get your hopes high, either, mister.”

“Oooh, feisty. Sorry, I already downloaded the audio books for the rest of the series. Can’t wait to get the hard copies”

Oh that was annoying to hear. Audio books cheated the system in Cas’s opinion. You weren’t reading the book; you heard it through someone else. Like a passed down folktale! Taking time to hold a book in your hands and witness each word dance was the magic of reading. You couldn’t convince Cas otherwise.

“I see. Well, looks like I don’t need to check in on you then. You seem hooked.”

Dean paused on the other line, almost as though he had received bad news. “Well what if I got another book to read. Maybe I won’t be as hooked on that one and you’ll have to keep me in line until I finish?”

“Okay.”

“Wait, what?”

Cas sighed to himself. No turning back now.

“I’m okay with that.”

Another pause. Dean had to have been smiling like a madman now.

“Good. Good night, Cas!”

“Good night, Dean”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a link to the playlist for the fic: http://8tracks.com/cheerfuldean/between-the-lines-destiel-bookstore-au-playlist


End file.
